THE Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) on Wednesday identified the victim of the fatal shooting in Langley on January 26 as 22-year-old Arshdeep Singh.
“We are releasing our victim’s identity in the hopes that it will help further our ongoing investigation,” said Sgt. Frank Jang of IHIT.
The VOICE, on January 30, was the first to report that the victim was a South Asian, and that the other man who was shot but survived was also a South Asian.
That means that five out of the six men killed since December 27 have been South Asians and even the remaining victim was associated to South Asians.
This shows a complete disregard for law and order by South Asian gangsters in different groups as rivals go after one another with no holds barred. In one case they even entered the gangster’s parents’ home to shoot him dead.
This is something that family members as well as friends and associates of these gangsters would do well to ponder on.
Community sources told The VOICE that Arshdeep Singh was probably under pressure to earn money (he was reportedly working as a cabinet maker) because of supporting his family in India who had spent a lot of their money in sending him to Canada. Earlier he was reportedly in Brampton, Ontario. This should serve as a warning to other young men who might mistakenly think that selling drugs is a quick and easy way to make money. His friends have collected money to send his body back to India.
On January 26, Langley RCMP were called to 207 Street and 53A Avenue where they found a 22-year-old man with gunshot wounds inside a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
There was a second man in his early twenties who was transported to hospital and is expected to survive his injuries.
At around 11:52 p.m., Surrey RCMP received a complaint of a burning vehicle in the area of 180 Street and 19A Avenue in the area of Redwood Park in south Surrey. IHIT believes it’s likely related to the homicide.
Jang said that the victim was known to police. IHIT believes that his murder, that has all the hallmarks of a targeted hit, may be linked to the drug trade. However, there is nothing in the victim’s record that would indicate that the murder is linked to the ongoing Lower Mainland Gang Conflict
Anyone with information is asked to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Interestingly, with the Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team (SGET) undertaking numerous checks, drug investigations and vehicle seizures in targeted enforcement against gang activity in Surrey, all the shootings have been taking place in Langley and Richmond in the past few weeks.
Some incidents of violence in the past month in the Lower Mainland:
February 3: 32-year-old man shot dead inside a vehicle in Burnaby.
February 1: Exchange of gunfire between occupants of two vehicles in Richmond.
January 31: Two young men known to police escape uninjured in Langley shooting.
January 26: Arshdeep Singh, 22, shot dead, another young man injured in Langley shooting.
January 18: 27-year-old Langley man known to police shot in Langley.
January 16: Shooting between occupants of two cars in Langley City and Brookswood.
January 10: Person injured in a shooting in Coquitlam.
January 9: Dilraj Johal, 28, shot and killed in Richmond.
January 7: Anees Mohammed, 29, shot and killed in Richmond.
January, 6: Gary Kang, 24, shot and killed in Surrey.
December 28: Tequel Willis, 14, shot and killed in Surrey.
December 27: Harman Singh Dhesi, 19, shot and killed in Surrey.